The Annotated Hobbit

The Annotated Hobbit
Author	J.R.R. Tolkien
Editor	Douglas A. Anderson
Illustrator	various artists
Publisher	Houghton Mifflin (US) Unwin Hyman (UK)
Released	28 October 1988 (US) 1989 (UK)
Format	Hardcover
Pages	335
ISBN	0395476909

The Annotated Hobbit is an edition of The Hobbit with commentaries by Douglas A. Anderson. It was first published in 1988 by Houghton Mifflin, Boston, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first American publication of The Hobbit, by Unwin Hyman, London.

This book includes many illustrations by Tolkien and others not appearing in the published The Hobbit, also reprints the original version of the "Gollum" chapter and several early Tolkien poems.

Overview

According to the editor, The Annotated Hobbit is a referenced novel where in the margins the "annotator adds commentary". The edition includes also more than 150 black-and-white illustrations from foreign editions and some that were drawn by Tolkien himself. This allows for breadth of understanding of The Hobbit, hence contributing to the overall understanding of Middle-earth.

Purpose of publication

The main purpose behind the publication of The Annotated Hobbit was to allow readers to understand "how Tolkien worked as a writer, what his influences and interests were, and how these relate to the invented world of Middle-earth." Moreover, this also allowed for the publication of rare poems written by Tolkien (several of which were previously unpublished). This may help the reader improve the understanding of the culture that surrounds The Hobbit and Middle-earth in general.

Revised edition

In 2002, a revised and expanded edition was published. This version included maps and colour paintings. It also provided newer sources and greater understanding of Tolkien's legendarium. Another British edition was published in 2003 by HarperCollins in London.

This edition includes several more rare or previously unpublished poems and writings by J.R.R. Tolkien:

• Previously unpublished:
  • "Elvish Song in Rivendell"
  • "Glip"

• Had been published elsewhere:
  • "Goblin Feet"
  • "Enigmata Saxonica Nuper Inventa Duo"
  • "Iúmonna Gold Galdre Bewunden"
  • "Progress in Bimble Town"
  • "The Root of the Boot"
  • "The Dragon's Visit"
  • "The Quest of Erebor"
    • Gandalf's account of how he came to arrange the expedition to Erebor and send Bilbo with the Dwarves.
      (The earliest version is published in The Peoples of Middle-earth, and a later version in Unfinished Tales. It was originally intended to be part of Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings.)

Publication history and gallery

First edition (Houghton Mifflin)   First edition (Unwin Hyman)   Revised edition

• First Edition
  • First Impression: Houghton Mifflin hardcover (1988), pp.335. ISBN 0395476909
  • Second Impression: Unwin Hyman hardcover (1989), ISBN 0044403372
• Revised Edition
  • HarperCollins hardcover (2002), pp. 399. ISBN 0007137273

See also

• The History of The Hobbit

External links

• Live chat with Douglas A. Anderson about The Annotated Hobbit (transcript)